Property owner Ron Brown was dealt a blow Thursday morning in his quest for golf-cart access to The Villages via Bowersox Drive.
The Lady Lake Commission voted 4-1 on a resolution to vacate a portion of Bowersox Drive right-of-way between Lot 1428 and Lot 1411 of Orange Blossom Gardens. Commissioner Dan Vincent cast the lone dissenting vote, indicating he is concerned about the possibility of a protracted and potentially expensive legal battle Brown may wage.
Brown’s attorney Jimmy Gooding of Ocala waged a spirited fight on behalf of his client but indicated at the beginning of his presentation that he might be fighting a losing battle before the commission.
“I had a concern I might be wasting my time. I thought you’d already made your minds up,” Gooding said. “It’s a quasi-judicial proceeding. In other words you are acting like judges. You should base your decision on what you heard today, not on what you’ve already heard. But I’m going to give it a shot, because I believe you are fair-minded people.”
He went on to accuse commissioners of hurriedly scheduling the meeting and wondered out loud if The Villages might be behind the commission’s action.
“You have been provided with no reason to vacate this street,” he said.
Much of this was set in motion when The Villages Regional Hospital began constructing its new employee parking lot behind its Urgent Care center across U.S. Hwy. 27/441. A drainage area needed to be relocated to accommodate the new parking lot. All of this is near commercial and personal property Brown owns.
His lawyer argued that there has to be access and that Sumter County officials won’t approve the TVRH parking lot upon completion if access isn’t granted.
He also said Brown’s property on which his residence is located would become landlocked.
Commissioner Jim Richards offered little sympathy to Brown.
“If anything you’ve landlocked yourself,” Richards said. “You could have made yourself a driveway to your own lot.”
Town officials also indicated Brown has and uses another access from his property.
Despite Brown’s indication that he would only use golf-cart access for himself, Commissioner Paul Hannan said he was afraid a trickle of outside access could soon become a flood.
“I believe this is going to open up golf cart access to people outside The Villages. I pay amenity fees to have access to these facilities,” Hannan said. “People who don’t pay the amenity fees shouldn’t have access to them.”
After the meeting, Gooding would not speculate on what Brown’s next move might be.
